In recent years, demand for guarantee of safety of foods, clothes and housings has become stronger, and necessity for fire-resistant material is increasing. In such a situation, a plurality of methods to give flame resistance to a flammable yarn by compounding general-purpose flammable fibers and flame resistant fiber shaving high degree of flame resistance, while maintaining characteristics of the flammable yarn, have been proposed. As such a compound fiber, for example, Japanese Patent No. 2593985 specification and Japanese Patent No. 2593986 specification disclose a method of using antimony compounds as a flame resistant agent to be added to halogen-containing flame resistant fibers in compounding of halogen-containing flame resistant fibers and natural fibers.
Recently, union fabrics using general-purpose cellulosic fibers as a warp yarn and a halogen-containing flame resistant fiber including antimony compounds as a weft yarn are often used for interior design products, such as curtains and chair coverings, because special features of cellulosic fibers, such as natural feeling, hygroscopic property, and heat resistance, can be exhibited. Among them, union fabrics using cellulosic fibers as a warp yarn and halogen-containing flame resistant fibers including antimony compounds as a weft yarn, such as jacquard, dobby, and satin have special feature with many cellulosic fibers disposed on a surface side of the fabric.
However, in these union fabrics, uneven existence of cellulosic fibers and halogen-containing flame resistant fibers in a fabric makes it very difficult to pass a highest flame resistant class M1 in NF P 92-503 combustion test in France that requires a very high degree of flame resistance.
Only international publication No. 01/32968 pamphlet proposes a method applying such technique furthermore in which a union fabric using a cellulosic fiber as a warp yarn and a halogen-containing fiber having an antimony compound and a zinc stannate compound added therein in combination as a weft yarn has a very high flame resistance passing class M1 of NF P 92-503 combustion test.
However, since zinc stannate compounds have a higher cost than that of antimony compounds, the fiber has a cost higher than that of conventional fibers as compared with independent addition of the antimony compounds to the halogen-containing fiber, leading to a problem of higher cost of the union fabric.
Accordingly, in a union fabric comprising a halogen-containing fiber by addition of only antimony compounds and a general-purpose fiber, such as a cellulosic fiber, development of a union fabric exhibiting high flame resistance and classified in Class M1 of NF P 92-503 combustion test without combined use of zinc stannate compounds etc. has been long awaited.
The present invention aims at providing a fabric having high degree of flame resistance in case of union fabrics consisting of halogen-containing flame resistant fibers and cellulosic fibers, and classified in class M1 of NF P 92-503 combustion test.